How dare Donald Trump argue with Gold Star parents [“Trump, Muslim soldier’s parents clash,” News, Aug. 1]. In America, we value and salute our nation’s war dead. The Khans made the ultimate sacrifice, and they exemplify the very best this nation has to offer. Trump should salute them and their son.

Joseph Salow, Bellerose

Not only will Donald Trump not apologize to the Kahn family, but his spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, stated that Capt. Humayun Khan likely died because President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton changed the rules of engagement in Iraq. Pierson has since admitted her timeline was wrong [“Trump camp gets $82M in July,” News, Aug. 4].

Young Khan made the ultimate sacrifice for his country in 2004, more than four years before Obama became president. As Mark Twain once said, “It’s better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

Jerry Giammatteo, Sayville

As I watched Khizr Khan take his copy of the Constitution out of his pocket and attack Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention, I was reminded of a disturbing incident in the 1930s. Franklin D. Roosevelt had just been elected president, and a group of wealthy right-wing Americans approached one of the great heroes of our military, retired Gen. Smedley Butler, a holder of more than 15 medals, including two Medals of Honor. These men were afraid of FDR’s plans to restore our economy after the Great Depression, and Butler said they asked him to lead a coup that would remove Roosevelt from the presidency.

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Butler not only refused, but also made it clear that the plan would be an attack on our Constitution and lead to fascism. He exposed this group before Congress, but no action was taken to punish them. This event is rarely taught in our schools.

Both Khan and Butler showed support of our Constitution. We are thankful for their contributions to maintain our democratic system. Let us hope that American voters also show their support in this year’s election.